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John 'Jack' George Phillips - a hero of the Titanic
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Jack was born on April the 11th, 1887, in Farncombe, near Godalming in Surrey, England.
He later attended the Godalming Grammar School, now the Red Lion Pub, before entering the Civil Service as a telegraphist and taking up a position at the Godalming Post Office.
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In March 1906, Jack Phillips joined the Marconi Company attending their Wireless and Telegraphy training school at Seaforth Barracks, Liverpool.
For a period of two years he served on board the liners Campania, Lusitania, Oceanic & Mauretania.
In 1908, Jack was transferred to the Marconi transatlantic station at Clifden on the Irish coast where he worked transmitting and receiving messages from the Marconi station at Glace Bay, Nova Scotia.
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Three years later, he was posted to the liner Adriatic, and then in March 1912 he was sent to Belfast where the magnificent new White Star liner Titanic was in the last stages of fitting out.
He was to take up the post of Chief Wireless Telegraphist..
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The Titanic leaving dock in Belfast.
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Harold Bride
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Jack was one of two Marconi operators assigned to the Titanic, the other was Harold Bride.
Both worked for Marconi, the wireless equipment manufacturer, but were actually paid by the White Star Line. They were responsible for installing Titanic's new wireless equipment.
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Both Jack and Harold Bride remained at their post until minutes before the Titanic sank.
Harold Bride survived the sinking of the Titanic.
Jack was not so fortunate, he perished aged 25 and one day - his last birthday was aboard the Titanic.
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A Marconi wireless room
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The official report on the death of Jack Phillips is that he died of hypothermia on the 15th of April, 1912. His body was never recovered, but there is a memorial head stone in the family grave at Godalming Old Cemetery. |
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The Jack Phillips memorial cloister in Godalming is one of the largest memorials in the World to a single Titanic victim. |
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